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Jets Wallop Jags 32-3 Starting Season Strong

Cromartie had a huge game. He caught two interceptions; Eric Smith and Josh Mauga each had one. As a unit, the Jets held the Jaguars to 203 total yards and just 3.8 yards per play.

[Black Star Sports]

The New York Jets wearing their navy-and-gold titans uniform had a dominating performance Sunday--intercepting Jaguars quarterback Luke McCown four times and holding him to a mere 1.8 passing rating, the lowest passing rating an opposing quarterback has ever registered against them. “We did a great job of recognizing plays and going out and just playing solid,” said cornerback Antonio Cromartie about the Jets overall defensive performance. “A lot of stuff we clicked on was play recognition and just going out and attacking.”

Cromartie had a huge game. He caught two interceptions; Eric Smith and Josh Mauga each had one. As a unit, the Jets held the Jaguars to 203 total yards and just 3.8 yards per play. Even though Sanchez threw two interceptions, he led offensively with a crisp 4-for-4 attack for 65-yards, including a 17-yard touchdown toss to Santonio Holmes for the first drive of the day. It was their first first-quarter touchdown on offense since week four of last season against Buffalo.

Sanchez rushed for 29 yards and was 17-for-24, gaining 182 yards with two touchdowns. Still it wasn’t a perfect game for him. “Well, I just have to be patient and especially when you score on that first drive and you’re feeling good, you can’t give them two cheap throws,” reflected Sanchez of the interceptions. “They played tough, they played hard, but we just had a great game plan for them and you can’t give them any cheap ones and that’s frustrating. But we got back on track and won the game.”

The four interceptions, including a safety by rookie defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson added 15 points to the Jets score. “My job is just to try to help--and you have to feel comfortable out there,” said Wilkerson, who registered his first sack of his career. “I’m just trying to help out the defense and make plays with the other 10 guys.”

Sanchez connected with tight end Dustin Keller six times for 101 yards including two touchdown passes. Nick Folk kicked three field goals and Shonn Greene carried the ball for 49 yards to eliminate any doubt about the outcome. “Either way, it was an excellent game, great team effort. We did make some mistakes, had a few more penalties than we would have liked and the two interceptions. Other than that, I thought it was a pretty good day,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “For the defense, that’s a New York Jet record for holding a quarterback to a 1.8 quarterback rating. It’s not my personal record but we’re working on it.”